Talladega has had nine different winners in the last nine races. Five of those winners started 15th or worse, and only one started in the top five. Three of the nine races went to overtime, so this week’s bets chase long odds.
For DraftKings Sportsbook NASCAR best bets and picks, follow @Race4thePrize on X.
NASCAR Best Bets for the YellaWood 500
Race Winner — Daniel Suarez (+3000)
Daytona has gone well in the last two August races, with a second-place finish each time. The first came with Trackhouse Racing, and the second this year with Spire Motorsports. Spire also won at Talladega in April, when Carson Hocevar took the checkered flag. Suarez finished 12th in that race after starting 16th. Over nine Talladega races since 2022, he has four top-10 finishes, with a best of eighth. He also won at Atlanta in February 2024 after starting 23rd.
Race Winner — Todd Gilliland (+3000)
Last October’s runner-up finish came from 27th on the starting grid. The No. 34 Ford has four top-10 finishes in nine Talladega races since 2022. Those include a seventh in October 2022 and an eighth in April 2024. Gilliland has been in the mix more often here than the +3000 price suggests.
Race Winner — Alex Bowman (+3500)
Four of the last five April races at Talladega ended in the top 10 for the No. 48 Chevrolet. The finishes were ninth, fifth, seventh, and third. The third came this April, when Bowman started 20th. The October races have been rougher, with a 28th, a 16th, and a 29th since 2023. Bowman also finished second in the 2024 Daytona 500. Bowman’s career is winding down. His opportunities to win a Cup Series race are few and far between. The super speedways provide his only realistic path to Victory Lane. Bowman won’t lay up on Sunday in Talladega.
Race Winner — Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (+4000)
It’s not quite a holiday. Super speedways are more like school breaks. Six times a year, super speedways appear. These are Stenhouse days. Stenhouse won the 2023 Daytona 500 from 31st and the October 2024 race at Talladega from 32nd. All told, he has four Super Speedway trophies on his shelf. Stenhouse has also been close lately. In his last three races at Daytona and Talladega, he finished second, sixth, and fifth. A driver who has won twice on these tracks since 2022 should not be 40-to-1.
